Going Postal

Those of you who have followed the blog and seen my comments on Facebook know I am really struggling with the whole postal system here. Today I wanted to mail all the Christmas cards I have taken the time to write. Aric and I have been in Al Karama the past few days - it's the older part of Dubai and has more furniture stores than you can shake a stick at. On our journey of looking for a bed and several rugs, we came across a section of Dubai that is nothing but "knock off stores" - but it's not just fake items....it's "genuine, grade A, fake" according to all the fine purveyors - purses, watches, belts, Diesel jeans etc. It just can't get any more genuine fake than that I think.

Scored the latest Chloe clutch purse in black patent leather, for $38 - now that's wealin' dealin'.


OK so back to the postal issue - in amongst the many furniture stores and market boutiques I eyed a "Central Dubai Post Office" building. Taking up an entire square city block I thought I had found the holy grail! Upon opening one of the many doors all I found, to my dismay, was rows and rows of private post office boxes. It was like a large locker room of PO boxes and empty halls. My steps were echoing out as I ventured through the rows only to dead end at every turn. Escaping the PO box maze I walked around to the back and finally found an entrance to a hall, where actual people were sitting behind counters, with scales and PC displays, looking like they may dispense of stamps. There were 21 counters but no directions to which counter offered what service and each counter had at least 20 people in line. I planted myself at counter 15 because it seemed to have a few less people than the rest. Half way through and 20 minutes later I realized I was in the mobile phone payment line. I asked a person in line where you could get stamps and he directed me to line 19. After another 15 minutes I found out that it was the National ID registration line. This is something we eventually have to register the entire family for, but that's a story for another blog. Finally I had a person tell me that line 21 was definitely the right one for getting stamps. Full of optimism I skipped and hopped over and joined the line. After another 20 minutes and no movement I realized that everyone ahead of me had at least 100 letters to mail. The postal guy was putting each letter through a meter machine, one at a time, 10 seconds for each....so I did a quick calculation of the other 10 guys in line, multiplied by the amount of envelopes they were holding and with my superb math skills I knew it would be another 48 minutes before I was at the front of the line. Having envelopes headed for US, UK and Denmark, I knew the person would get his meter confused and I was afraid of a postal meter meltdown. Instead I, myself, was now near a postal meltdown, with a rash and heart palputations starting over the sheer inefficiency of the Dubai mail system. Aric was calmly sitting on a bench doing mails using his handheld and I could not get eye contact. The hall started spinning and I wanted to scream "Does this seem efficient to you people???" In my mind I started formulating a letter to the Sheikh, suggesting a stamp dispensing machine and a number system like they have at the Ikea customer service counter - it works for crying out loud!

Near tears, I left the line defeated and joined a surprised Aric, who gently led me to the car, assuring me he would ask his boss to bring my letters to England next week on his business trip and would mail them from there. The Christmas cards will be sent I promise you! And not by camel or hot-air balloon but by British Airways Cargo!

The whole ordeal has shaken me to the core. My Scandinavian genetic organization and efficiency personality has been bruised. I'm not sure I can get used to living in a country which has the most state-of-the-art buildings yet a "pony-express" 1883 postal system. It's enough to make you go truly postal!